Refrigerating apparatus



May 8, 1934. G. F. HOFFERBERTH REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb.- 27. 1951 INVENT R HIS ATTORNEY Patented May 8, 1934 PATENrorFic 1 1,958,392 nEmGEnA'rmG APPARATUS George F. Hoflerberth, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Frigidaire Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application Fem-am 27, 1931, sci-m Renewed September 30, 1933 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparat'us and more particularly to a mechanism for removing ice from'ice trays.

Heretofore, considerable time was spent in ap- 6 plying heat in some form, to a tray containing a plurality of ice cubes, for' instance those employed in household referigerators, such as aplyi g heat to the tray by holding the-tray in an inverted position under running water to release the ice cubes from the tray. Several mechanicalmechanisms or devices for removing ice from trays havebeen designed but to my knowledge none of these devices have been entirely satisfactory for the reason that during the removal operation of the ice from the tray with these devices the ice would be cracked or broken into small pieces which would fly outwardly from the tray and could not be used.

' An object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for mechanically removing ice from a tray by pryinga unitary grid and the ice bound thereto from the tray without cracking or breaking the ice blocks.

Further objects and advantages of the pres- '26 cut invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accom- D nying drawing, wherein a preferred form of.

' thepresent invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

'30 Fig. 1 is a front view of a household refrigerator cabinet showing ice trays located in a cool- 'ing unit'disposed within the cabinet;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of an ice tray constructed in accordance with the present. in- 35 vention;'

3 is a sectional view of the ice tray taken on the lines;3--3 of Fig, 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of an ice tray shown in engagement with a rigid memsober; and

. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion of an icej,tray shown in engagement with a rigid membar and showing a grid and ice pried from the the .g'rid and ice adhering thereto from 'ice adhering or bound thereto can be removed erating system. It isto be understood that the cooling] compartment hassuitable openings or dues to permit the circulation of air therethrough and into the food storage compartment 14. Ice trays 18 are disposed within the cooling 00 unit 12 and are adapted to contain substances to be frozen. Any substance, such as water, may be placed in these trays and the trays may then I be inserted into the cooling unit where the waterwill be frozen for domestic use. Each of IS the trays 18 include a removable unitary grid" w structure 19 located therein and comprising longitudinal pieces 19a and 123,,and'a series of cross pieces 19c fordividing the interior of the tray into a plurality of molds or, compartments "lo 21 (seeFigs. 2 and 3). These compartments or molds 21 provide icecubes or blocks, after water placed inthe trays has been frozen, of a suitable size to permit the cubes to be placed in glasses for use in serving cold drinks, etc. 7 15 My invention is particularly directed to a mechanism wherein ,the grid 19 and the ice 1 frozen in the tray member, and which adheres to or is bound to the grid, can be removed from the tray 18 without cracking the ice cubes or breaking them into small pieces. For this purpose I have provided a strap 23 which bridges the longitudinal dividing pieces 19a and 19b of the grid 19 and has its ends secured thereto in any suitable manner. The strap 23 is formed to as protrude" upwardly above the. top edges of the grid 19 so as to provide an opening between ice frozen in the tray member and, the strap 23. This opening is of suflicient'. size to permit, the reception of a rigid bar member utilized for the tray 18., This bar member may be in the form of a hook or tool 25 which may be secured to a wall of the room in which the refrigerator cabinet. is located or may be secured to the cabinet 10. In the embodiment disclosed, I have shown the member or tool 25 as being stationarily secured under the strike 26 which is employed to receive movable bolts of the latches 2'7 utilized for maintaining the doors 15 of the cabinet 10 in closed position.

It will be apparent from the drawing and from the foregoing description. that the grid 19 and from the tray member 18 in the following manner. 10:; After the tray 18 and its contents have been withdrawn from the cooling unit or evaporator 12, located in .the cabinet 10, the tray 18 may be placed into communication with the bar member ztsothattheendofbarmember 25 extends".

between the ice in thetray 18 and the strap 23 secured to the grid 19 (see Fig. 4) Upon moving, the tray member 18 downwardly the edge or top of the rear wall of the tray 18 engages an intermediatepart of the tray 25, thus the intermediate part of the bar member 25 and the edge of tray 18 provide a fulcrum and further downward movement of the tray 18 causes the grid 19 and ice adhering or bound thereto to be loosened or pried from the tray member (see Fig. 5). The grid 19 and the ice removed from the tray may then be removed from the bar member 25 and placed over a suitable receptacle for receiving the ice cubes as the ice thaws and drops from the-grid.

Obviously, the grid 19 may be placed into the tray 18 with either end thereof located at either 'end'of the tray. In order to eliminate the necessity of reversing or changing the position of grid 19 if placed into the tray with the end which carries the. strap 23 disposed in the wrong direction, I have provided a strap 23 at each end of the grid 19.

Since the unitary grid 19 comprises the'divid ing pieces 19a, 19b, and 190, these pieces provide a metal contact, with the ice cubes formed thereby, on more sides of the cubes than the metal walls of the tray afford. This feature of a my improved device is desirable and is an advantage over devices heretofore known in that, due

to the grid having more metal in contact with the ice cubesthan the tray, the ice cubes willbe separated from the tray more readily than endeavoring to remove'portions only of the grid from the tray. It will thus be seen that the force exerted between the tray and the grid to break the ice loose from the" tray is not of suflicient intensity to cause a strain on the ice cubes for the reason that the cubes must only be separated from the walls of the tray and consequently these cubes are removed bodily from the tray along with the grid.

An advantage obtained by my improved mechanism isthat of utilizing movement of the grid,

with respect to the trayyfor removing the ice cubes from the tray, which cubes will not crack or break by the force exerted to separate the grid and ice bound thereto from the tray. It is therefore apparent from the foregoing that ice cubes or blocks of uniform dimensions can be readily removed from the tray in which they were frozen by my improved mechanism. My invention therefore eliminates the disadvantages of mechanisms heretofore employed which, as previously pointed out, would crack and ,break the ice into small pieces, which pieces fiy outwardly of the trayand cannot be used. a

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form,

it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming which follow. I 4

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, a tray adapted to be inserted in or on a cooling unit of a refrigerating apparatus and adapted to contain a substanceto be frozen,'a grid within said-tray dividing the inwi'thin the scope of the claims terior thereof into a plurality of molds, means for removing the grid from the tray, said means.

including a bar mounted independently of said of thegrid and tray.

grid and said tray for association therewith, said grid including means adapted to be engaged by an end of said bar, said bar including a portion adapted to engage a portion of said tray for prying the grid loose from the tray upon movement I of the tray relative to said bar while said bar is in engagement with said means on said grid.

2. In combination, a tray adapted to be inserted in or on a cooling unit of a refrigerating apparatus and adapted to contain a substance to be frozen, a unitary grid within said tray comprising a plurality of longitudinal and cross pieces dividing the interior of the tray into a plurality of open top molds, means for removing the grid from the tray, said means including a bar mounted independently of said grid and saidtray for association therewith, said grid including means bridging at least two of said longitudinal pieces thereof adapted to be engaged by an end of said bar, said bar including a portion adapted to engage a portion of said tray for prying the unitary grid loose from the tray upon movement of the tray relative to said bar while said bar is in engagement with said bridgingmeans on said grid.

3. In combination, 'a tray member adapted to be inserted in or placed on a cooling unit of a refrigerating apparatus-and adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen, a grid within said tray member dividing the interior thereof into a plurality of molds, means for moving the grid relative to said tray member, said means including a bar member adapted to associate with said grid and said tray member, said grid including means adapted to be engaged by an end of said bar member, said bar member being independent of said grid and said tray member and including a portion adapted to engage a portion of said tray member for loosening the be congealed or frozen, a gridwithin said tray dividing the interior thereof into a plurality of molds, means for moving the grid relative to said tray, said means comprising a stationary member independent of said grid and said tray and adapted to engage said grid and tray to cause said relative movement of said grid and tray.

5. In combination, a tray adapted to be insertedin or on a cooling unit of a refrigerating apparatus andadapted to contain a substnce to be eluding a vertically disposed longitudinal member and a plurality of vertically disposed trans verse members intersecting said longitudinal member, said longitudinal member and said transverse intersecting members of said grid di-' viding said tray into a plurality of .open-top molds, means for moving at least a portion of said grid upwardly relative to said'tray, said means comprising a lever member independent of said grid said. grid and tray to cause-said relative movement GEORGE vr. Hor's''afmann'rn.

- congealed or frozen, a grid within said tray inand said tray and adapted to engage "a portion of 

